Ruger’s positive earnings report continues to support the argument that gun sales are up as indicated by the release of the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) data earlier this month, which showed a 14.7 percent increase from the previous month. The NICS data simply provides the number of background checks performed, so it is merely a way to estimate sales.

For the first nine months ending Sept. 29, Ruger’s net sales were $350.1 million, which is a $114.5 million increase from 2011.

Needless to say this is an interesting time for firearm sales as the U.S. presidential election is next week. The most notable explanation for the surge is that gun owners are weary and, some may even say, fearful of what President Barack Obama has had in mind in for gun rights during his first, and/or possible second, term as president.

Our guess is probably not, at least, you probably won’t see a major decline in the next coming months (if it happens at all, of course). But a lot will change in the United States within the next week and months to come, and gun rights could possibly become a more pressing issue among the majority of U.S. voters.